A question from a reader: My adult daughter, with whom I was very close, has told me that she no longer wants to be in contact with me. I am devastated, not only because she and I were in contact so often, but because I can no longer see my grandchildren. After...

How many times have you said something like, “My mother did x so I will do y.” Or “My mother was this way so I am going to do the opposite.” Or, “I’m going to break the cycle of [insert dysfunctional pattern here].” Only to find yourself doing the...

How I define the verb “heal”* = to transform a wound from being a source of pain and suffering into a source of creativity and wisdom. More and more I am struck by the micro and macro: micro :: one adult daughter struggling in her life because she has unresolved...

I’m sitting alone at the table in our small dining room in Trumbull, CT. My mother is in the kitchen and my stepfather is standing in the doorway watching me. On my plate is a pile of cold lima beans congealed with margarine. I had ruined our dinner because I...

“If you have to act in a particular way to avoid being something you don’t like, you’re trapped.” ~ Debbie Ford, The Dark Side Of The Light Chasers Question from a reader: I am determined to not be like my mother and yet so often I find that I...

Question from a reader… I read “How do you know when it’s time to cut ties with your mother?” and I wanted to know more about what it means to “cleanly separate ourselves” from our mothers. I recently had an impulsive, quick, and...